Kansas school bus goes off bridge; children pulled from creek

Story highlights

Children are safe, but the bus driver is in serious condition at a hospital

The children escaped through an emergency exit and waited on top of the bus to be rescued.

A school bus went off a bridge into a creek near Douglass, Kansas, on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

All 10 children on the bus were pulled safely from the water after climbing out through the emergency exit, officials said, but the bus driver had to be airlifted to a hospital, where he was in serious condition.

"A couple of kids were yelling, and a couple of kids were crying," said Logan Parker, who was on the bus. "We climbed out and got on top of the bus."

The kids say they waited a couple of hours before being rescued.

"The water is very swift down there," Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet told CNN affiliate KWCH. "It took a little while to get everybody out. But everybody's safe, and it's a good day."

Douglass School Superintendent Rob Reynolds also rushed to the accident site.

"When I arrived here at the scene, the kids were on top of the bus actually hugging each other," he said.

"The older kids were supporting the younger ones. ... I'm very proud of the kids."

One of those older kids was sixth-grader Josh Barker. "Most of them were scared except me and my friend, and we just told them to calm down and stuff," he said.

When it was all over, Logan was relieved. "I was happy to see my grandma. I guess this is one Halloween you'll never forget?"